The Voice Beneath the Silence
by Anime Borat
Summary: Silence does not mean the absence of words but the presence of meaning. A quiet voice speaks out her thoughts. My humble Christmas gift to you readers as the 2015 draws to a close.
1. Chapter 1: REVENGE

**The Voice Beneath the Silence**

A/N: This is a small drabble of the game from Quiet's perspective. Forgive me as this is my first, and may possibly my only Metal Gear fanfic. I never played the game myself but watched walkthroughs and read from its page on Metal Gear Wiki. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain belongs to Konami, its plot belongs to Kojima, no copyright violations intended. Much of this based on compilation of her scenes and on the tapes. Not exactly a masterpiece, more like a cross between terse diary entries and poetry. Forgive me if this is very long. I just couldn't help it. As I never played the game, I turned to YouTube videos to learn as much as I can. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave review. Merry Christmas 2015 to all and a Happy New Year 2016.

Disclaimer: This is a fanwork, no copyright infrignement intended. Whatever the disputes, Konami may hold ownership of the franchise but characters, concept, and story belong to Hideo Kojima and his team. Sayanora, Kojima-san. You were an inspiration to me. You were a major influence to the industry, shining light of you ideals. We will miss you and Snake.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: REVENGE**

The order had came

The scarred man has come to see me

A loose end, he called him

The mark is simply called V

 **...**

I met the scarred man

He briefed me

I could not believe it

A hospital in Cyprus,

Of the British military

Makes my job harder

Why not just put the target on a bus?

 **...**

He told me who he was

I cannot believe it

The legendary soldier himself

Big Boss...

I thought he slipped under the sea

Drowned in his castle of steel

 **...**

V, he must be

Tapped phone and radio we listened

Indicated he has come to

I'm put on stand by

Planning continues

He's just another target...

 **...**

It wasn't easy

The doctor and nurse had to go

It was not pleasant either

To kill someone defenseless

Would prefer shooting from afar

Yet, those are my orders...

 **...**

The patient next to him

Attack me with all his might

Never expected a bandaged man

To put up such a fight

 **...**

FIRE! Fire! He burned me!

My skin was roasting

It smells of meat...

Lamb

I screamed and screamed

Crash through the window I go

Shattering glass heralding my fall

 **...**

I woke up... They saved me...

But he exacts his price

My body he claimed

And my soul

 **...**

It takes some time getting used to

My choice of wear is hard on my modesty

But was the only way I can survive

For the parasites to thrive

How could this be?

But after the scarred man showed me

How my fate could be worse

The Skull, a soulless super soldier

Whose body must molder

So I must accept my curse

 **...**

The parasites breathed new life

To vanish quietly

And to phase behind a person's back

I can slow down time to shoot

I can leap higher than a pole vaulter

And kick a man twenty feet across the floor

Sunlight and rain sustains me

Sleep I need little, food none

Yet, I was not made to live long

I speak my mother tongue

Slow death awaits

 **...**

They trained me hard

To master my new body

Already a weapon

Trigger at ready

 **...**

He came to me again

I never saw or felt him like this

So cold and brooding

Yet so menacing... and worse

He seemed to look down on me

Then he gave me my mission

 **...**

I remember how at first

I was repulsed

At how they brought me back to life

I am no longer human

It's common ground, he claimed.

That we are set afire

Pain broke us and forged us

Why should we feel so?

And free our enemies remain

They should feel our pain

Each word took me back

To that night I had lain

That I seem to roast on a rack

...

He explained to me his story

From that village in Hungary

Trapped in that factory

Burning rapeseed oil cascading

Leaving his skin scalding

They all died

He did not

Hell claimed his skin

But not his soul

Left to expire

To fade away

They took him away

Russians, Germans first?

Neither matter

Tortured

Forced to speak their tongue

Held on to hope

To hang the world on his rope

 **...**

I'll make my life matter, he said

I've less to live now

Big Boss should be dead!

And taught me how

 **...**

In Afghanistan I go

Playing hide and seek

Putting fear in their sleep

The Russian soldiers whisper

Beware of the sniper

Who walks naked on the sands

Hmmm... men

 **...**

Big Boss is here!

No doubt he has heard of me

Picked up my trail of bread crumbs

Of dead men who spoke too much

Of the scarred man's iron beast

Now I have him in my sight

To Aabe Shifap I lead him

Where a king's realm reached twilight

Ruins, a grave from another time

It will be his too

Big Boss, to hell I send you!

 **...**

Bastard!

He really lives up to his name

He's too quick and cunning!

He's putting the hurt in me!

Supply dropped on my position

Out of my scope, he saves his head

But he can't get a bead on me

That makes it a draw

Only one of us must yield

It won't take long

 **...**

Dusk approaches... Neither of us a victor

He is persistent! Truly a demon

A part of me wants to leave

To fight another day

But another wants him dead

To assuage the pain

Of the flesh I lost

Burnt away into ash and meat

I want him to burn!

Ugh, why does it sting?

Darts!?

 **...**

I feel... tired...

Who's that behind me-

 _AARRGGHH!_

 **...**

I can't believe it...

He defeated me

I am beyond human

Yet he took me down

I lie on my back a second time

To face my fate again

He's here to finish the job

Though I resent, I must accept

I tried to kill him

I expect no mercy

I lost, he won

I await my death...

 **...**

I looked at him

He looked at me

That cold eye of his

Looking down at me

No surprise

This is the end

No use fighting it

I glanced back

I spot a change in his eye

Savoring the moment, I see

Just get on with it

 **...**

He saved me...

Why!?

He took me in his arms

And aboard a chopper

I almost spoke but held myself

We'd both be dead

Fool? You're mine!

 **...**

I simply pretend to sleep

A surprised him and disappeared

Make him think I got away

How wrong you are

They talk of this "mother base"

Something to my advantage

Beware of quiet gifts

 **...**

They sent a Harrier?

He's my kill!

His time I decide still

But that jet won't go away

I must be something!

This chopper is no match for it!

Big Boss, legend or not, is still a man

I took the gun, killed the missile

I took my rifle, killed the pilot

I surrendered and we stay silent

 **...**

What a hell of a reception

A 21-gun salute aimed at us

I'm not welcome on Mother Base

Their fortress, their home

This Miller knew I'm from Cypher

Had to save the Boss's breath in telling them

Had to make them see what I can do

Nothing they will can stop me

Useless is firepower and brute force

Against ability bordering on myth

Leaped off the chopper

Vanished in mid-air

And landed behind them with flourish

I took off the cuffs

Disappeared again

Should put the fear in them

But that cowboy had the right mind

Ordered thermals online

Spotted and cornered, the jig was up

No use impressing them

My fate Miller and Cowboy argued

Big Boss arbitrated

Sent me back to the brig

 **...**

First day of my incarceration

Uneventful, except for a few aids

Tried to dress me

Immodest as I appeared

I'll die if I wear a shirt

Night was interview and exams

Intelligence conducted the former

Medical staff did the latter

I remain mute in spite of questioning

Quiet, they called me

I was subjected to machine exam

Terrifying, I feared the worse from radiation

They're also scared of me

Want me quarantined

Cowboy's name is Ocelot

Has taken an interest guarding me

Did the interviews

Nice to give me a cage with a shower

 **...**

He and BB paid a visit

Talked about me

My abilities and my strangeness

Turns out someone like me had it before

Back in the Soviet Union, 1964

How much of this world I knew now?

And how much I didn't know?

 **...**

Ocelot attending some matters

Left me someone to watch me instead

A wuss named Sasaki

Wearing a gas mask and all shivering

Got the short end of the stick, I see

Runs to the bathroom time to time

With a fresh set of clothes

And a tank full of disinfectant

A mere lock on my cage

How clever of the best mercenaries in the world

Yet, I can't help but the get the feeling

They are just watching

Ocelot, I believe, has a hand to it

 **...**

Big Boss out on a mission I hear

Decide to tag along

To learn more about him and his Diamond Dogs

To see more of the legend in action

Better than breathing the air when Sasaki is around

I simply picked the lock

And went out of my way

He prepares to depart

Miller seems distracted

Then bangs his cane beside me

Lucky guess! I'll give him that

How, I'll never know

Surprise, surprise, the charade's over,

But I intend to go

Miller is skeptical

But Ocelot favors my adventure

Miller disagrees

Ocelot hand me his pistol

Tell me to shoot through the blades

Miller protests but Ocelot nods

I shoot through with nary a scratch

A "freak" just proves her worth

Big Boss accepts in spite of my silence

To wherever the winds takes us

 **...**

It is different to see him fighting

When he's not the enemy

I had never seen anyone

Take on a battalion, much less a regiment

With such guile and cunning

Courage and resolve

The more I see him in action

The more I can see why he is legendary

I'm starting to think my plot

Is a terrible mistake

He treats me better than "Skull Face"

Who only gave me a number as a name

No better than those men

Who took my grandpa's brother

To an Indian boarding school

Scrubbing him clean of his identity

To make him their idea of a man

The ideal American

While scorning his lineage all the same

 **...**

I see him guiding those poor boys

Out of that hellhole

Refused the contract to kill

He's protecting them

Nary a merc touch their hair

I play my part

Anyone too close dies

Aboard the bird of freedom we go

Big Boss, why do you fight?

Is it love or hate?

Honor? Justice?

Why do you risk your life for them?

My heart flutters

 **...**

He's escaping!

He has it!

It's in his throat

My dirty little secret!

They tried to stop me

But I swept them away

I must rip it off!

This evil of Skull Face

The evil I willingly accepted...

Big Boss! Don't interfere!

But they stopped me in time

I'm taken back to my cell

I feel defeated

I want to scream but I'm afraid

My cries will take me back to that night

 **...**

I'm put on mission again

After some time in the cooler

Miller still distrusts me though

I should learn more about him

... Why am I holding back?

 **...**

Mother Base is locked down

Everyone blames me

Platforms cordoned off

By men in hazmat suits

Decon showers everywhere

Sasaki must be lucky

Here not to be

Probably in mess duty

 **...**

The intel man we saved

Spoke of the key to our problem

The mission is Code Talker

The man behind the 'sites

It would be difficult

Then the Skulls appeared

Who I might be when the 'sites take over

Who I will be if I speak my voice

 **...**

The Skulls again

At Nova Braga

This time brutes

Men lucky to be infected

And collected

They won't get back Code Talker

Even in death we won't yield!

Fight on, mindless brutes!

 **...**

We taken him back to the base

Code Talker worked with Med staff

It took over two weeks

But we saved Mother Base

From his "children's" grip

I can hear the other guys hurting

I know how it feels

...

One of the boys lost his necklace

In the drink with disinfectant

From their leader Shabani

Their last keep sake from him

They deserve it

Just like my wrecked lungs

I jump in, heedless of the risk

To my being

Ah, it burns!

But I can't lose it, I can't

... The pain, the pain...

But they won't lose Shabani, even in death...

 **...**

Every mission brings to light

How Skull Face wants to set the world afire

To create his twisted paradise

In the Congo and Afghanistan

In Nova Braga against the Skulls

With Big Boss's steed and dog

The Devil's House, the diamond mines

The man on fire

Bwala lya Masa with the White Mamba

And the strange redheaded boy floating with a gas mask

Truly madness

Conflict breeds misery

We saved this egghead Huey

And the plans of his steel monstrosity

Sahelanthropus...

Ozymandias's engine of hell

 **...**

We won, we won

Skullface is dead

No longer to drown the world in flames

I _am_ free!

We returned with our prize

The steel demon Sahelanthropus

Huey's Golem, his Frankenstein

Now Cipher will not threaten us

Lose the head, the body falls!

Miller gave a speech

The phantom pain in us

Our curse and blessing

Our shared bond

Will live in us forever

The battle is won

But war ever rages

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked this. Chapter 2 incoming.


	2. Chapter 2: RACE

A/N: Second chapter. Divided the original work to improve readability. Updated Jan. 4, 2016 for the Paz scenes in motherbase

* * *

 **Chapter 2: RACE**

Miller calls attention

Skull Face's threat remains

Cipher remains powerful

Has spies in our midst

Parasites feeding on information

He removes his shades

He is blind all along!

Calls us to be his eyes

Who is the enemy?

Me or Cipher?

 **...**

Paz, Paz, I hear

This girl, beautiful girl

From Costa Rica

He screams and screams in pain

The pain in the depths of his soul

Of a bomb

How'd she died

He speaks of Peace Day

Three days away

Time for a little snooping

Sasaki's asleep

No shift to relieve him

Won't know a thing

 **...**

Breaking into Miller's office

Was quite hard

No surprise there

Hated my guts

Surprising even for someone blind

He has a file on this Paz

Interesting...

 **...**

I wasn't the first one sent against him

Paz Andrade Ortega

Better known as Pacifica Ocean

Cipher spy, 'guised a school girl

Parents died supposedly

In the country's last war

University for Peace student

Aided by her professor

Ramón Gálvez Mena

Actually, played CIA and KGB

For Cipher's benefit

After getting rid of Coldman

Tried to steal Metal Gear Zeke

Force him to join Cipher

But the punch?

All made possible by Kaz

All for the old colors

Militaires Sans Frontières

And the business of war

Hmmph!

I hear the door open

Gotta hide!

 **...**

Miller is alone again

He now reads files in Braille now

Reviews end-of-the-day reports

And intel work

Then he drinks afterwards

Toasting to old friends

Who died in '75

Then reads Braille files from '74-'75

Peace Walker, when Big Boss saved the world

And the loss of Mother Base

Keeps coming back to the Paz files

From their meeting in Colombia

To picking her from Camp Omega

Still angry, from what I can see

From being played like a fiddle

By her and Cipher

So? Guilty about letting in Cipher at the door?

Bringing down Mother Base?

... Stabbing the Boss in the back?

Then something amazing happened

Out a drawer, he put on a prosthetic hand

And the wall the guitar I thought was a prop

He started playing this song

Coy... no... Yoshkruko?

 **...**

I never believed it

His singing was that bad

But his string skills were fine

And why does he sing

Love Deterrence?

The song he wrote

For the girl who betrayed him

Betrayed them all

Kaz... Do you love her still?

Reading the files

Where you trying to see

If you can see it coming then

If you can save her then

Why else would you Safety and Construction signs?

Bear her likeness

 **...**

Why am I cuffed to a chair?

Why is my head covered?

!

The pain... Electric shock!

Miller has me!

He knew who I am

And he has proof of it

The petal in my black lungs

A Star-of-Bethlehem

Knew I was after the Boss

Saved by Codetalker's "children"

He wants to know

If it was Skullface or personal

AARGGHH!

I'm doused in saltwater...

The pain is strong...

Burning my skin...

Stinging and singeing...

I want death, please!

Ocelot intervenes...

Saved my life...

Spoke out, it seemed

Why I never killed the Boss

Yet

I'm in loved with the legend

Just as he once was

That's why he looked at me

With an eye of slight envy

And he states that whatever I used to be

I'm now loyal to Big Boss

He sets me free

Miller remains bitter

 **...**

Codetalker asks me

In my other tongue

The one one clean of the 'sites

The one I knew better

I told him the truth

It is English

I refused to speak it

And never will

I'm no longer Skullface's pawn

I want to be free!

 **...**

Outside I can smell the rain

Sweet, sweet rain

I opened door...

... And I jumped out

Landed and got my boots off

I feel alive again!

Savor the life-giving water on my body

Bog Boss is here? Giving me my boots?

I realized that we just want to have fun

I remember the rain back in the reservation

How grandmother told me stories

Of the elders who danced for rain

I had never seen him smile that way

Then the rain stopped

It was beautiful!

 **...**

Two disasters in one!

Eli escaped with Sahelanthropus

And with the children!

The redhead boy helped them escape

What did he fill their heads to join him?

I overheard with him, Ocelot and Miller

Killed Ralph, how could he?

Offered them vengeance

"Last chance to face

the world with no regrets", he says

A monster...

With an outpouring of anger

Just like me...

Now they bid the world farewell

Now a third looms

The Quarantine Platform!

 **...**

This is desperate

How could his "children" spring out?

Big Boss goes in by himself

I'm stand by, under guard of course

With Sasaki again

I listened closely

They suggest him

If he encounters infected

To put them out of their misery

I looked on horror

Then he suggested to include himself

The progress of this grim mission ensues

Every word striking my heart

The moans of the infected

Miller's desperation, Ocelot's eyes seem to flicker

They rained fire on them

They have to kill them now!

He's killing them

Huey's denouncing him

But I feel Big Boss

And his pain

"We live and die by your order, Boss"

Some say in that room

And he ended their lives

Why!? Why does it have to so?

He found a survivor but he's already too late

Then that room...

Sakaki felt like crying

I do too

 **...**

Big Boss? What are you?

Are you a demon or phantom?

Those men and women?

Whom you so loved?

Is your heart hardened to hell?

Or was it crushed by pain?

Boss, please tell me!

 **...**

Out on the platform

We held a funeral

In memory of the fallen

Who died from the parasites

Cremated to keep to stop infection

I dare not see the burning coffins

I feel the flames on my skin

The smell of of my cooking flesh

I never felt this sad

Since I left my hot and arid home

More than a decade ago

We prepare to scatter their ashes

Huey denounces him still

Stop it, he's had enough already!

Miller tells him he did the right thing

And he did something we never expected

He took an urn and opened it

"I won't scatter your ashes to the heartless see," he said

"I will always be with you

"Plant your roots on me"

Wiped the ashes on his face

"I won't see you end as ashes

"You're all diamonds."

I never saw such grief and compassion

His voice and gesture

"We're not burying them at sea?" Miller asks

"What, then?"

"We'll make diamonds from their ashes

"Take them into battle with us."

"A shining light," he agrees. "to our brothers in arms

"Even in death."

Boss... you love them still

 **...**

Bastard! Liar!

It was you, Huey!

You caused all this!

Eli and his revolt succeeded

His heist of Sahelanthropus

The quarantine outbreak

All thanks to you!

I want to be there!

At Room 101

Where he is to be judged

But I was told to stay in my cell

I complied

I desire his blood on my hands

But Big Boss is to be the judge of that

I will not interfere

However I wanted to

 **...**

Why did he let him live?

That cowardly monster

That pathetic wretch

Why? Why did you let him go?

Why are you making it easy?

I watched him lowered to the sea

A raft with food and water

He rants on and on

About how wrong we are

What he did to "save" us

How he did nothing wrong!

Sail back to Cipher, you cur!

See if your former master accepts you

His raft takes in water

He tosses his metal legs to save himself

Everything he did

All for himself

Run, but you have nowhere to hide in the end

 **...**

But I can't run too

I'm what's left off Skull Face

His Damocles' sword

The mutation, both parasite and Wolbachia

There's little point in treatment now

Their hospitality wears thin once they found out

I have to return to where I came from

To the sound of silence

Big Boss need not to worry

At least Miller and the men

Can sleep soundly tonight

 **...**

The Russians captured me, beat me

They hated me for the losses I inflicted

The friends lost

All the pain they inflicted on me

Is nothing to the one inside

But the English strain must die

Just not in this place

 **...**

I'm dying...

I try to walk away...

My life slowly slips away

I must, I must leave this place-

Keep your hands of me!

Ugh!

The water! Not the water!

 **...**

Huh!

I'm in water

Deep your wick somewhere else, Ivan!

I may be silent but I'm still dangerous!

It was intense! I was exhilarating!

I'm alive!

Curs, I send you to hell!

I stand, ready to face more

Big Boss, what are you doing here?

Get out of the way!

To more fools I rushed

Yes, they never stood a chance

I make them all see my fury

My pain, my rage, my anger

Speaking in my actions

Slaughterhouse lambs

Pretending to be pack wolves

Inside that hut I trap some

Inside it's burning but I care not

Gunfire

Big Boss shot the water tank

Saved me yet again

I kill the last soldier

I meet the legend face to face

Why is he here?

Why risk his life for me?

But that question can wait later

The Soviets have a brigade

Arrayed against us

Boss, let's do this!

 **...**

The battle was over

Finished the last tank

Wait, there's one more-

Ugh!

It hurts...

He carries me again

Through the sandstorm

We have to hurry

The Russians will send more

Wait...

Let go of me!

I still have the 'sites

Let me be, Boss!

But he's grip is strong

I can hear armor approaching

They're here!

We avoided a close call

A trigger-happy conscript

Shooting up a snake

I have to leave now

Just as I struggle

Another snake bit him

He'll die!

 **...**

I try to contact Pequod

Try to speak in Navajo

To save his life

But no one can understand

Code Talker isn't there

Pequod will leave

The sandstorm's getting worse

I look down on him

I can see his eyes

They flicker with emotion

They were not the eyes of a demon

They were those of a man

A good man who doesn't need to die!

Big Boss, you were good to me

You deserve to live

For your Diamond Dogs

For Sasaki

For your family

I contacted Pequod again

In English, the poison in my throat stirs

I guide him back

To our position

Every word pains me

Knowing that I'll die soon

Yet, I feel no heaviness

My heart beats faster

Yes, he's coming

I look down back to him

And I realized

This is where we say goodbye

I'll have to leave now

Lest I expose him to my plague

 **...**

I left him a tape

My goodbye letter, my last lullaby

Hope he will find it

No... He _will_ find it

I love you with all my heart

You taught me freedom, gave me hope

And to let go of my hate

Big Boss... no, Snake

Thank you

I'm sorry to leave you

But it is best for you and me

For Miller and Ocelot

For Sasaki and Diamond Dogs

For the entire world

And how I see the end of my life

I've decided

To be with nature

The birds, the flowers, the sun

The memories we have together

Both god and bad

I cherish in my heart

I wonder if there's a place for us

Out there

Neither heaven or hell

Or at least for normal people

A warrior's paradise like grandpa used to tell me

Big Boss, you have nothing to fear

You are not alone

We'll meet again

* * *

A/N: I credit numerous Metal Gear vids but especially **TetraNinja** 's, **TheRadBrad** 's, and **MKIceAndFire** walkthroughs; **Duck360Gaming2** 's videos, especially _Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: All Cutscenes Movie(PS4/1080p)_ and _Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain: All Quiet's Scenes + Ending(PS4/1080p)_ ; **IZUNIY** 's _Quiet Story All Cutscenes - Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain 60FPS_ ; RajmanGaming HD's _Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain - Paz Cutscene (SPOILERS) 1080p (60fps) HD ?✔_ ; Naughty Gaming's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain All PAZ Scenes; **Miraj Plays** ' _MGS5 Tapes - Quiet [1-7];_ Mr SiRK's _Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Main Story Ending Video_. If you haven't noticed, I've added Sasaki, who was conspicuously absent since MGS4, or at least a member of his family. Since they never elaborated on Quit's background, I have a theory: Quiet is Navajo, or at least partly so. Who can can speak Navajo other than Code Talker fluently in this game? Also the rain dance in the game bring to mind Native American rain dancing ceremonies. I make references to lamb and there's some trivia to it: sheep raising was once an important source of income to the Navajo, especially with meat and wool, and it's presumably part of their diet. There's even a breed they used for that, the Navajo-Churro sheep. Quiet made mention that her grandfather's brother being sent to an Indian boarding school, common practice in line with the United States government's policy of cultural assimilation by destroying Native American culture and identity, a theme explored in TPP. Addendum: My ideas on Paz are based on the Safety First/Under Construction" signage with stylized images of Paz on them found in Mother Base, courtesy of TV Tropes(will ruin your life). The song Love Deterrence(Koi no Yokushiryoku) is Paz's character song but ingame it was written by Miller for the upcoming Peace Day.


	3. EPILOGUE: NEW DAY

**Epilogue: A New Day**

A/N: A bonus end written for Saitama2309 and Thisguyhere. Brought to light some facts about Quiet related to Moby-Dick and added my own ideas from some nautical literature. Enjoy!

* * *

It was just another in the huge library set up in Mother Base. A new section was built adjacent to the killhouse and gym to d a lot of rest and recreation options for Diamond Dog staff. The library, one of the earliest facilities, was transferred to the new section to accommodate the large influx of books being purchased to satisfy the large influx of staff. Befitting the multinational composition of Diamond Dog staff, the library has a huge and diverse collection of literature from around the world from newspapers to hardcover, covering all sorts of topics. And as such, this has brought interest in some of the stuff to create a book club where they can discuss the literary merits of a work or the tradition of literature.

Inside the windows were made open due to a failure with the library's air-condition system, technicians struggling to repair it, much to the concern of one of assigned staff who feared the effects of Seychelles salty sea air on its huge archives. There were a few members on R&R reading quietly and a few of them were gathered on a table.

"What'cha reading, Crimson Kite?" one man asked as the one addressed as Crimson Kite was reading _Moby Dick_.

"Come on," chided Crimson Kite good-naturedly, "I'm not in mission. You can call me Ellis or I can call you Clever Muskrat." Diamond Dogs staff were given codenames when on mission to mark their identities from radio interception of transmissions but over time, these names took on a life of their own.

"Well, Ellis, I see you've been reading a whale of a novel," joked Clever Muskrat.

"A classic." He smiled without letting his eyes of a page. "I never though I'd be reading it."

"Really?" He looked amused. "You never read Moby Dick before?"

He looked up from his book. "Did you?"

"Uh, no," he admitted.

Kite added, "Do you read any sea books by the way?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I like Hemingway's _The Old Man and The Sea_."

"Splendid, maybe we should have sea books the topic of discussion for next week's book meeting."

"Great idea. I'll be sure to inform our club president about it on the way." He took a chair to sit on. "You've been reading _Moby Dick_ like two weeks ago."

"Yup."

"Any reason for the sudden interest?"

"Yeah..." He put down the book. "Quiet." That had just made the library more silent than the grave.

It took Muskrat some time speak. "Quiet..." Quiet, the superhuman sniper who Big Boss took in. Her presence on Mother Base had caused quite an uneasy stir, especially as her abilities have put her beyond the pale of human for most people, made even worse when Miller pointed out she might be a spy.

"Quiet like the library," they turned heads to Sunset Crane. The woman took her seat with them.

"No, it's like 'quiet' Quiet," Kite admitted. Again the silence returned. Quiet had left Mother Base less than a month before and everyone breathed easier although a few people had found it a bit odd.

Someone had to break the silence. "So what exactly are talking about?"

It was Kite who answered. "Well, ever since she left, I decided to read _Moby Dick_ and a few other nautical novels. Maybe out of boredom between missions but I noticed something in the book that made me think of 'er."

"And what's that, Kite?" Muskrat asked.

"Queequeg. One of the characters."

"Who's that?" Crane asked. Then Kite gave brief summary of the character. Queequeg was a South Seas islander who hitched a ride with the crew of the _Pequod_ after they made a stopover for supplies. He swam to the ship and begged to be taken by them. The crew accepts him as he showed bravery for his act. Yet, it wasn't without problems. Queeqeg came from a different culture compared to everyone else. His culture practices cannibalism, which he admits matter-of-factly and his not taken aback walking around almost naked in his heavily-tattoed body although they prevailed on him to wear clothes. Even one of the characters, Ishmael, was initially frightened with him when he enters the inn room he was staying but he decided to make up his mind, noting that a sober cannibal is the least of his problems. Queequeg, for his part, had been overly-friendly the next morning, throwing his arms around Ishmael in what would have been intimate. However, he was able to get by cheerfully in white society and he was an expert harpooner, which prompted the owners of the _Pequod_ to give 1/90 percent of the ship's profits if he signed up. He never parted with his harpoon except when it's not needed like going to port. Another quirk of the islander were his religious practices as he worships an idol named Yojo and keeps to prolonged fasting and silence, at one point locking himself inside his room in Nantucket and another when not speaking to the rest of the crew. Although fading to the backdrop as the story progressed, Queequeg was ultimately Ishmael savior when the whaling ship went down.

"You know, that sounds a _lot_ like Quiet," Muskrat noted.

"So much like someone has written everything we faced today out of that story," said Crane.

"Yeah but let's not forget that she worked for Cypher," Kite pointed out. "She tried to kill the Boss."

"Yeah, but apparently, her stay with us had dampened her enthusiasm for her mission." Muskrat suddenly had a thought. "My favorite book is Joseph Conrad's _Lord Jim._ It's also a sea book as well."

"Really, now?" Kite smiled. "I never took you for a Conrad man. What sort of story is _Lord Jim_?"

Muskrat then gave brief description of Lord Jim. The titular Jim was a sailor aboard the Patna, a ship carrying pilgrims to Mecca. When the ship was taking water and disaster was drawing near, he and the rest of the crew abandoned ship, leaving the passengers to their fate. The crew were later picked up by a French ship but the passengers where rescued as well. This has forced most of the crew to scatter, leaving Jim to face the music all by himself-

"Wait are you implying the Quiet deserted Cypher?" Crane asked.

"No, no," replied Muskrat. "And I wasn't even getting to the good parts." He continued. "Jim meets up with Marlowe, the main character of Heart of Darkness and in spite of skeptical start due to Jim's track record, were fast friends. Jim became a clerk to Marlowe's chandler business but his past has caught up with him, thus forcing him to leave once again..."

"I thought that sounded like you, Muskrat, " they turned to Gray Panther as the Ghanaian's booming voice caught their attention. "And I here that you're discussing Conrad in this little book club meeting."

"Hello, Gray, didn't expect you here." Kite shook the man's hand.

"So you're talking about Conrad, eh?" Gray was not a big fan of Conrad's work for the simple reason that _Heart of Darkness_ slighted African people everywhere as untamed savages.

"Just Lord Jim, me friend. And also about Quiet."

"Quiet, the freak sniper," he noted. "That woman was rather unholy. I'm glad she left and hope it stays that way."

"Come to think of it, we were discussing about _Moby Dick_. Quiet's similar to one of the characters."

"Really?" They brought him up to speed on about _Moby Dick_ and Queequeeg, then to of _Lord Jim_. Jim eventually found sanctuary in the island of Patusan, where through hard work, wins the locals' trust and was bestowed the title of _Tuan_ or Lord. He helped the people defend against bandits and the corrupt local chieftain. He found love in a mixed race woman named Jewel. It seemed that he found a place to call home. However, years later, a powerful European bandit named "Gentleman" Brown attacked the village. Jim lead a spirited defense against him but one of the defenders, the son of one of the one of the village leaders, died in battle. Jim faced the distraught leader and willingly took a bullet to the chest.

This got everyone silent. It was Crane who broke the silence. "You know? Without her help, that Skull guy would have won."

"I don't know...," Panther said skeptically. "She was part of Cypher."

"Think about it," Crane expounded. "Without her Big Boss would have had an early grave. Since she doesn't speak, she lead us to Cipher every step of the way. From Afghanistan to the Congo and back, we defeated Cipher and stopped Skull Face from destroying the world."

"Still, it was chancy," Gray observed. "I mean, what if she lead us into a trap or away from the real problem?"

"What she did was on the mark," Kite noted. "I don't mind her."

"And just like Jim, Quiet had sorta earned our trust despite an uneasy start." Craned looked up at the open windows at the ceiling. "In spite of her previous allegiance, I believe she's one of us, a soldier."

"Yes, the Boss is like that, getting people to forget about themselves for a moment and realize that there's something bigger than ourselves." Panther took a deep breath of the sea air permeating from the windows. "Still, we didn't trust her one hundred percent. We couldn't take that chance. Remember how she escaped and dragged the Boss to Afghanistan?"

"Yeah, I know but she saved his life in the end. Like Lord Jim, she took a bullet for the Boss. Last I heard from the intel department's scuttlebutt, she disappeared in a sandstorm." Then she added with mischievous whisper. "You never heard that from me."

Gray stroked his chin and contemplated the statement. He mentally reexamined Quiet's stay in Mother Base and her service in Diamond Dogs from what he knew. Crane had a point. He admitted, "Yes, indeed. And on the subject of Quiet, I think of Hemingway's _The Old Man and The Sea_." He looked at the books of the shelves in front of him as he thought of the story. "Like the boy and old man, Quiet and Big Boss struggled together whenever they're in the field. Time and again they've pulled off feats of arms that have become legendary and saving his life for one last time - that's the shining jewel in her achievements."

"So, any of us feel like putting a pedestal for her?" Muskrat asked.

"Not needed." It was Panther who answered. "We all wanted to do something about our lives, whether it is to do what we liked or do what we think is right. I think we are all Quiet. Some of us wanting a fresh start and a chance to make it big, regardless of what we were previously. I joined Diamond Dogs as a fresh start. I'm tired of my home country bickering itself. Now, after parasites and the Metal Gear, I realize that there's more work to be done."

"Yeah, damn shame," agreed Kite. "Out there in the world, there's bloody trouble brewing in the horizon. A every little conflict out there will lead to another and as long as there's war, people will need us to keep the peace, keep everything from going all to hell." Up above the windows, unseen by them by the virtues and vagaries of sunlight, Venom was smoking an E-cigar, with taste that left no scent, which was why the four below didn't notice him. As he smoked, he was thinking about Quiet and Paz. How many Quiets have to go to war, how many Pazs needed to die until this senseless conflict ends? How many Skull Faces out there burn with revenge before they can make their next move? How many of their own people have to be lost handling and dismantling nukes? How much must this demon inside have to quench its hunger? These orphans he raised, Diamond Dogs, will never go home for they will never know true peace. And the threat of Cipher remained, metamorphosing into a Leviathan that would consume the world. He hoped to put a stop to Cipher one day, set it end.

And bring lasting peace to the world.

"Another mission, right, Boss?" he said to the sky.

* * *

A/N: Fin


End file.
